A nest of coastal Emu eggs, one of the rarest and endangered bird species in the world, has just been discovered in Australia.
During a wildlife survey aimed at identifying endangered species before timber harvesting, staff from the Forestry Corporation of Australia discovered a deep blue egg nest. The eggs were later confirmed to belong to the coastal Emu, one of the rarest bird species globally.
The adult coastal Emu at Bungawalbin National Park (left) and the discovered coastal Emu egg nest in New South Wales, Australia – (Photo: Forestry Corporation & Jimmy Malecki).
This is referred to as a “significant ecological discovery” because since 2002, the New South Wales state government has classified this Emu species as endangered.
According to IFLScience, the coastal Emu was once widespread along the northeastern coast of New South Wales and played a crucial role in seed and fruit dispersal across the area. However, since 2002, they have been considered endangered, primarily due to predation and vehicle collisions.
Currently, there is only a small population of fewer than 50 coastal Emus in the North Coast area of New South Wales. Therefore, the discovery of 10 coastal Emu eggs, including 9 in the nest and 1 found nearby, is significant.
Senior ecologist Chris Slade, who works at the Forestry Corporation of Australia, stated that they are making efforts to ensure all the eggs hatch into Emu chicks.
Out of the 3 eggs left in the nest, 2 have already hatched into chicks. The other 7 eggs have been placed in an artificial incubator by the Saving Our Species program of the New South Wales Department of Environment as part of the coastal Emu breeding initiative.
The Forestry Corporation of Australia has also voluntarily suspended timber harvesting activities in the area surrounding the Emu egg nest.
